Ear-ring and method of manufacture

ABSTRACT

EARRINGS MADE BY INTERLACING A PLURALITY OF COILS OF PRECIOUS METAL WIRE TO FORM A &#34;MILANESE&#34; WIRE GAUZE WHICH, IN TURN IS FORMED INTO A TUBE AND THEN SHAPED INTO THE FORMING A SPLIT TORTOID SO THAT THE ABUTTING ENDS THEREOF WILL EXERT A RESILIENT GRIPPING FORCE IN TENSION.

Oc 261,, 1971 J. H. LENFANT EAR-RiNGS AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURE Filed June 6, 1969 United States Patent O 3,614,876 EAR-RING AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURE Jacques Henri Lenfant, 47 Rue des Petits-Champs, Paris, France Filed June 6, 1969, Ser. No. 830,941 Claims priority, application France, June 7, 1968, 154,124 Int. Cl. A44c 7/00 US. Cl. 63-14 G 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Earrings made by interlacing a plurality of coils of precious metal wire to form a Milanese wire gauze which, in turn, is formed into a tube and then shaped into the form of a split toroid so that the abutting ends thereof will exert a resilient gripping force in tension.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION It is known to suspend ear-rings from the ear lobe by clasping or pinching the latter by means of a clip of which one jaw is urged towards the other by a spring. It is also known to form split rings of ferrous metal which have resilient properties resulting from the simple breaking or splitting of the ring or toroid. The movement of the ring portions adjacent to the split section away from each other is. antagonistic to the resilient resistance of the metal which on the contrary tends to move these portions towards each other when the separating force is removed. Now it is obvious that this simple solution is unapplicable when using malleable metals such as precious metals.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This method is applicable to various types of wirelike elements. Thus, notably, a flexible chain of the socalled cord type, made of relatively soft precious metal, such as yellow gold wire, can be twisted on itself, the resulting coil being subsequently twisted jointly with a wire of cold-drawn precious wire (for example a wire of the alloy known as white gold).

Of course the twisting must be so directed as the move the lips adjacent to the break, gap or slit, in the ring towards each other, when the latter is formed by bringing together the ends of the twisted elements.

This method is also applicable to a blank obtained by the well-known method permitting of producing socalled Milanese wire gauzes. In this case the method consists in applying to a tubular blank formed from this wire gauze a twist in the desired direction, i.e. the direction tending to tighten against one another the turns of the coiled wire constituting said wire gauze, such that tension will be imparted to the broken toroid obtained by bringing together the ends of this tube, thereby tending to reduce the width of the slit or gap formed between said ends. It will be noted that the direction of coil of the wires must be selected as a function of the desired result, this direction being for a right-hand ear-ring opposite to that applicable for a left-hand ear-ring. It has been found that this tension is properly exerted on the ear lobe when the toroid is cut askew in relation to the radial cross-section of the toroid, this skew slit being nevertheless contained in a vertical plane when the general plane of the ring proper is vertical. Finally, the lips adjacent to this slit may be provided with small plates for widening their surface area of contact with the ear lobe.

Other features and advantages of this invention will appear as the following description proceeds with referice ence to the attached drawings, given by Way of example without insofar limiting the scope of the invention, in order to afford a clearer understanding of the manner in which the same may be carried out in practice, the various features appearing both in the description and in the drawings being of course an integral part of the invention. In the drawings:

FIGS. 1 to '5 inclusive show the different steps of the manufacture of a wire gauze of the so-called Milanese" yp FIGS. 6 and 7 shows a complete ring obtained from this blank, and

FIG. 8 shows a ring obtained from the same blank, with a portion shown in greater detail.

It is known that the term coiled wire applies in jewelry and goldsmiths work to all wire-like elements made from precious metal wound coilwise or twisted in a similar manner.

A piece of coiled wire C is shown in elevation in FIG. 1. To make a so-called Milanese wire gauze a number of these coiled wires C1, C2, C3 Cn are assembled as a function of the width of the desired ribbon. The assembling step consists in engaging the turns or coils of coiled wire C2 into those of coiled wire C1, those of coiled wire C3 into those of coiled wire C2, and so forth, up to Cu (see FIGS. 2 and 3). When the desired width of Milanese wire gauze has been obtained, its longitudinal edges are brought together and assembled by means of complementary coiled wire acting as a fastener which simultaneously engages with its coils on the one hand the coils of wire C1 and on the other hand those of wire Cn. Thus, a tubular assembly of the type shown diagrammatically in FIG. 4 is obtained.

This tube is then fitted on a copper mandrel of the type conventionally used for ornamental works on coiledwire gauze by hammering and punching.

Then the Milanese tube is twisted to impart a tension and thereby a kind of resilience thereto. Then the mandrel is removed by using chemical means, and the tube is bent to form a ring or broken or split toroid (FIG. 6). As already explained, the break of continuity or gap should preferably lie in a plane askew to the corresponding radial cross-section of the toroid, while being contained in a vertical plane when the toroid itself is disposed vertically (FIG. 6). The lips formed by this break, gap or slit are provided with slightly wider plates P1 and P2 intended to pinch the ear lobe as a consequence of the resilient tension imparted to the tube by the simultaneous twisting of the coiled wires.

As already pointed out in the foregoing, the tube is twisted in the direction tending to tighten the turns against one another; consequently, a proper initial direction must be chosen for coiling the primary wires (FIG. 5), this direction differing according as the final ear-ring is intended for a left-hand or a right-hand car.

A result perhaps slightly less satisfactory may be obtained by carrying out method of this invention with a different arrangement of wire-like elements. These elements may consist on the one hand of a flexible chain of relatively soft precious metal (for example yellow gold) of the so-called cord type, and on the other hand a wire D of cold-drawn precious metal (for example white gold). The chain B is twisted on itself to impart a coillike appearance thereto, and the resulting coil is encircled by twisting wire D around it. As in the preceding case, the ends of the twisted elements are brought together to constitute a split or broken toroid or ring of which the slit, gap or break of continuity is also oblique, the corresponding registering faces of these ends being provided with slightly wider plates P1 and P2 '(FIGS. 7 and 8).

In "FIG. 7 it will be seen that the tension imparted to the tore-forming material tends to warp the toroid, thus 3 facilitating the application of the pinching force to the ear lobe.

I claim:

1. A method of manufacturing split earrings which comprises the steps of winding a plurality of wires of precious metals to constitute individual coiled wires, engaging the coils of one coiled wire into the coils of second coiled wire, then the coils of a third coiled wire into those of said second coiled wire, and so forth, to constitute a so-called Milanese wire gauze having the desired width, bringing together the endmost coiled wires of the wire gauze and assembling said endmost coiled wires with each other to form a tube by using an additional coiled wire as a fastener which engages its coils into those of said endmost coiled wires, placing said tube on a copper mandrel, twisting said tube to impart a tension thereto, removing by chemical means said mandrel from the twisted tube, bringing together the ends of said tube to form a split toroid having abutting ends in gripping relationship.

2. Ear-rings comprising a split ring, characterized in that the split ring comprises a plurality of interlaced coiled wires shaped in the form of a toroid, the abutting ends of the toroid defining a section extending askew to the References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 398,431 2/1889 Midgley 29435 886,616 5/1908 Long 29-423 1,784,786 12/1930 Durand 29160.6 X

2,451,780 10/1948 Siska 634 FOREIGN PATENTS 988,223 4/1951 France 29160.6

JOHN F. CAMPBELL, Primary Examiner 20 V. A. DI PALMA, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

